Maya and
Arnold got married today at a gala affair. About 1000 people were in
attendance, including Arnold's mother and father and his best friends from
Holland. Here is a picture of the bride and groom, as well as Kandu Sherpa and
her brother. Arnold and Maya met on an expedition to Cho Oyu. It was a
Himalayan romance. Maya is the first Nepalese woman to climb Ama Dablam,
Pumori and Cho Oyu. Arnold has climbed Cho Oyu twice and Everest once.
Arnold has led and been a member of five expeditions to Manaslu, Everest,
and Cho Oyu. Kandu Sherpa is Maya's sister and she is rapidly becoming an
excellent climbing Sherpa. She leads most of our treks and has recently
become a qualified climber with a certificate granted after training by
the Nepal Mountaineering Association. We wish Maya and Arnold and all of
their families the best of luck for now and the future. Thank you very much,
Yours Sincerely, from Dan and all of us at SummitClimb.com

From left to right: Everest, Nuptse, and Lhotse. A picture postcard view.

Daniel Mazur on the summit of Everest, after climbing it from the Nepal side.
Don't forget to take off YOUR oxygen mask for the photo, when YOU reach the
summit. Makalu and Kangchenjunga in the Background. (Photo: Roman Giutashvili)

Everest is perhaps the
most coveted mountain in the world. The south (Nepalese) side is the route
first climbed by Tenzing and Hillary in 1953, and the dates we have chosen
feature the best weather of the year. Our proposed schedule allows for two
potential summit attempts.

This expedition to
Everest maximizes many years of accumulated wisdom of the high Himalaya, a
strong record of reaching Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga, and many other 8,000
metre summits, along with an intimate knowledge of the Nepalese officials
who regulate the permit system. We must also give credit to the highly
experienced and hard-working climbing Sherpas, cooking and office staff.

Detailed Description

The trip begins in the
ancient and colorful city of Kathmandu, and the staff will personally meet
your flight at Tribhuvan airport. You stay in a comfortable, simple,
clean hotel, and sample some of the tasty Nepalese, Tibetan and
Western-Style cuisine, at minimal expense. During our free day in
Kathmandu, we shall finalize arrangements, and take some time out for
trinket hunting, with planned visits to explore the 17th century splendors
of the Monkey Temple, the Durbar Square and old Kings Palace, as well as
the ancient city of Patan.

Early the following
morning we fly to Lukla at 2860 metres., where we meet our yak drivers,
and porters. If there is time, we will trek to Monjo (2652m), and spend
the night. For our full-service members, the cost of this expedition
includes one of the most beautiful treks in the world.

We will continue our trek
up to Namche Bazaar (3446m), the capital of the Sherpa Kingdom. Here we
rest for a day to acclimate, then proceed up to Deboche (3757m) for a
night, then to Lobuche (4930m), where we have another acclimatization day.
Finally, we make the last trek to basecamp at 5300 metres. After resting,
organising, and training in basecamp for a day, we will begin our climb.
We start with a day hike through the awe inspiring Khumbu Icefall,
followed by a trip to the plateau of the Western Cwm, for our first
glimpse of Camp 1, at 5800 metres. We return to basecamp for a tasty
dinner, prepared by our skilled cooks.

Diane in the icefall (Dan
Mazur). Tent lashed to its platform in camp 3 at 7200 metres (Dan
Mazur) Climber in the Lhotse Face (Scott Darsney). Chris Shaw on the face
at 8100 metres during an early summit attempt (Dan Mazur)

Climbing at 8400 metres
above the Kangshung Face (DL Mazur).

Through the following
weeks, they will climb up and down the mountain, exploring the route,
establishing camps, and carefully and safely building our acclimatization
level. From camp 1 at 6000 metres, the route traverses the flattish bottom
of the Western Cwm, to 6200 metres where camp 2 is located. Camp three is
on the head wall of the Lhotse face at about 7200 metres. The south Col,
is the highest camp, and at 8000 metres it is a windy and cold place. Take our time, climbing up and down to acclimate, which gives us the best
chance to ascend in safety and maximize our opportunity to reach the
summit during the "weather windows" which generally open in May. The route
to the summit winds through snow ice and rock fields, at a 10 to 50 degree
angle. These slopes are not considered technical, but there is exposed
rock here in the spring, and lines are often fixed. Fixed rope is often
placed on the small vertical pitch of the 6 metre high Hillary step, and
the summit lies directly above. Truly the most classic route on the
world's most classic mountain.

Looking up at the summit
from the south col. Climbing at 8400 metres above the Kangshung Face.
Approaching the Hillary Step. Climbing on the Hillary Step (DL Mazur) .

The view from the summit,
looking west to Cho Oyu, Shishapangma, Pumori, and many others (DL Mazur)
.